One of the thrilling elements of a career in the fast-paced industry of web design is that trends don't hang around for long. With every passing graphic, style or animation, there's a more advanced or dynamic version waiting in the wings. As technology evolves by the day and software updates are more frequent than tube strikes, it's important to keep your finger on the pulse and your hand on the mouse. Not only will this give you an exciting, ever-evolving career, but it will provide you with a vast array of skills that grow with every new trend.
What’s more, you don't have to follow the upcoming practises that other web designers have carved – the beauty of working in the web industry is that you too can throw your hat in the ring and push the boundaries of your ability. Who needs a predictable career when you can contribute to growing global technology trends? Here are just six upcoming movements to look forward to:
SEMI-FLAT DESIGNS
Thanks to Window's Metro style, the flat design became the favourite in web design last year but it also came with a host of difficulties. This year and well into 2017 will see a more subtle approach with the use of shadows and well-thought out dimensions to show depth and transitions in semi-flat visuals.
CUSTOM DRAWN ILLUSTRATIONS
When you're pushed for time, stock vectors are a web designer's best friend. However this will become fewer and farther between as designers are starting to make extra time to create their own illustrations. This will not only differentiate themselves from the masses but it saves money in the long term.
PARALLAX
Visual effects and web design often go hand in hand, but this has been taken to the next level with an effect called parallax. For those of you who aren't familiar with this term, it's when the background of a website moves at a different speed than the rest of the page. Not only does this look more engaging, it creates an illusion of depth to the graphic.
CENTRED CONTENT
Although we're used to seeing overloaded websites with banners to the right and main text to the left, this will begin to clean up by 2017. Sites will adopt a sleeker aesthetic with visual graphics being centred on the page. This will be combined with split content dividing the screen into wide sections giving designers more creative freedom.
STORYTELLING
It's not unusual for web design graphics to take the visitor through a series of layouts to build context. Scrollable interactive graphic novels will be huge in 2017 with Peugeot’s Hybrid Graphic novel already setting the tone.
MOBILE-FIRST DESIGN
It's not often that we're in one place for very long anymore. With flexible working hours and technology at our fingertips, we're shunning the wider screens of laptops and desktops for our handy smartphones. As a result designers are creating visuals in a reverse order, catering to the smaller screen first and forcing brands to consider what their core content and message will be due to a more limited amount of space.